En L'Air
by luvofvamps
Summary: Sometimes you have to toss the cards in the air and call them where they lay. Emmett isn't your run of the mill kind of guy. He grew up on the right side of the street and decided. It wasn't for him. What's going to happen when everything he's been running from, falls right in his lap. (This is an Emmett and Bella pairing)
1. Chapter 1

Note to reader: This is my first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfic. There are very few things in life that I love more than vampires. Please note, this is rated M. Be warned, it contains bad language, adult content, and a lot of badassness.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters. However, I do own the rights to this story. You may not reuse it, rewrite it, or borrow it in any way, without my permission.

Side note: I am a hundred percent Bella, and Edward. However, Edward didn't fit the mold for this character or this storyline. If he had, I would have written this as a TVD fanfic because there is nothing better than Damon and Elena.

En L'Air

Chapter 1

The lights, the sounds, the people of the city. They aren't what they use to be. When I was a kid, this was my favorite place to run away to; this was the first place my and Jasper ran to as soon as I was able to get my inheritance from my asshole brother. It's was as far away and different as you could get from our tiny ass, shit-town. It was loud, crowded, and no one knew anything about you. Now, it's too loud, too crowded and somehow everyone still finds out everything about you. I prefer the smaller towns now, just not Forks though.

Whenever I am in the city, it's usually because my boy Jasper needs or wants something from me. We own a club down on 3rd. Its Jaspers thing, not mine. He needed a front man, and I'm a sucker for easy money. I don't have anything to do with the place. My name's just on all the legal paperwork. No one knows I own the joint, only Jasper.

I'm not one for strip clubs. I don't understand the concept. I come in because my boy runs it, my names technically on it and I know I won't be leaving empty-handed. Other than that, you'd never find me in a place like this. Theses dicks, they don't have a chance in hell. Even most of the rich ones will be leaving empty-handed. Here they are, packed into a club full of dudes, staring at a bunch of chicks that will show it to them but never give it to them. They pay them, a full day's salary to have them rub up on them, but not finish them off. Then they sit the rest of the night, hard, with a bunch of dudes and if there are some females in here. They aren't in here for the gentlemen. They're here to check out the ladies as well.

Maybe I'm mistaken. Maybe Jasper is giving away pussy tonight because this place is packed. I'm talking wall to wall people. I've never seen it this full on a weeknight, and I always come in on the weekend to avoid this shit. Standing room only around just one stage, stage one. It's completely swamped. Assholes, standing on chairs and tables. Hooting and hollering. "Don't worry," I mutter to some dick that runs right into me, hollering for her to take it off. "She's gonna take it off…" pushing him out of my way, "shit head." I continue to mutter to myself, as he tumbles into the person behind him.

The only thing worse than a room full of horny assholes is a room full of drunk, horny assholes because when the shit head gets up, he takes a swing at the dude behind him. I'm not even going to bother that's what Jasper pays the big boys to deal with. I tried to convince Jasper to go alcohol-free, fully nude. I thought it'd make for a better environment. However, he was right in the long run. Seventy-five percent of our revenue does come from alcohol sales.

I knock my way through asshole after asshole, trying to make my way to the bar. After five hours on my bike, I want to sit my ass on a barstool, holding my ice-cold beer between my legs. I'm not going to lie, everything hurts.

Once you get past stage one, it starts to clear out a lot. I no longer have to knock into people to get them to move, they see me coming and dart the other way. My favorite seat is calling my name, but it happens to be occupied by some dip shit in a suit, slouched over a mostly watered down drink.

Jessie sees me coming. She points at me and shouts from across the bar to the suit, ogling her ass. "Move it buddy, the owner of that seat has just arrived." Her face is glowing. I don't know if she's that happy to see me or if she dislikes the suit that much. She waves her thumb in my direction, and everything on her petite frame shakes in just the right way.

"I think the lady just said that this was my seat," I tell him, leaning in close to his ear, making sure he hears me over the loud music and catcalls. He grabs his drink, mumbling something stupid under his breath that on any other day would get his teeth smashed in. Today I don't care, I'm tired and not just from the ride down here, I'm just tired.

Jessie wipes up the non-existent water residue that jackass left behind. Giving me a full view of her barely covered chest and the rest of the bar a full view of her barely covered ass cheeks. Dicks on the opposite side of the bar toss crumpled up bills at her backside. Degrading assholes, but they pay her bills, I don't.

"What'll it be?" She knows what I drink and never asks. "Jasper got rid of that nasty Racers beer. Since you never come to visit me anymore." She says winking. She's worked here long enough to know that Racers is the only beer I drink. So does Jasper and he knew that I'm coming in tonight. The least the fucker could have done is pick me up a case.

"Asshole," I muttered under my breath.

She shrugs her shoulders and leans forward, putting herself on full display again. "I can make it up to you later if you want?"

I don't want to, don't get me wrong Jessie is hot. I mean smoking. Red hair (Natural) and not that ginger red, the soft reddish brown. The deepest baby blues, the kind that makes you come on the spot when she's watching you as she's sucking you off. Perfect skin, even when the makeup comes off. Along with a tiny ass and tits for days. I'm sure none of it is god given but why do I care. It's not like any of us are going to heaven, anyway.

But, I already had her. For a night….along, long, long, long time ago, after way too much to drink and that is it for me. I don't do reruns, never watch reruns on TV, never watch the same movie twice and never, never hit the same pussy more than more night. Nothing in life is so good that I need to experience it twice. And to be honest, she's not my type, and I didn't even know I had a type until Jasper pointed it out after my night with Jessie. I always assumed my type was, if they walked, talked and fucked. I was golden. I don't even care too much about the talking, but it is nice to hear them scream my name.

"Just give me a Jack, neat," I tell her, giving her a little smile and a wink. I never shoot a girl down for trying. I'm not one to go around breaking hearts. They always know the deal, and Jessie knows the deal better than anyone. Nonetheless, it never stops her from trying.

She pours me two fingers of Jack and leaves the bottle. She knows I only drink Jack when I'm not planning on walking out on my own. Guess she's hoping I'll drink too much again and drop my pants. "Did the boss know you were coming in tonight?"

I took a sip of my jack to stop myself from cussing up a storm. It burns when it goes down. I love the burn, live for the burn, but only when I'm trying to forget, not when I'm trying to hang out. "Yeah, he knew." I lean back in my seat. "Don't tell me that little shit isn't here? He's the one that asked me to drive down here."

"Nah, he's here someplace," she says rolling her eyes. Jasper and Jessie are always fighting. They're worse than brother and sister. She tosses an ice cube at one of the other girls. Giving them a nasty look and pointing at the waiting customers, her way of telling her to take care of them. "He's probably babysitting his new toy. He's always here when she is." She continues to fondle an ice cube in her fingers. Jessie never likes any of Jasper's new toys.

"What the deal with Stage 1? Jasper finally okay a little girl on girl?" my smiles grows two times bigger. "Am I gonna see you up there with Roz?" I ask, turning in my seat. Putting my elbows on the bar, pushing my chest out. I try to get a peek at what's going on, but I still can't see anything through the crowd. I can't even get a peep if I wanted to and I don't. Besides, I already what happens in the end. She takes it off. They throw all their cash at her and then she walks off stage. They don't get anything out of it, and neither does she, not sexually anyway. Therefore, what's the point?

"You wish…" She hits me in the back with the ice cube. Jessie's never danced, not even privates. She pours the drinks and chats the gentlemen up. "No, that's the new girl," she rolls her eyes again when I look over my shoulder at her. "The princess." She says with air quotes and all.

"Don't like her, I'm guessing?" I turn back towards the bar, giving Jessie my full attention.

"No, she's great." I can taste the sarcasm. She leans in close to me, her hand dances across mine. "She's a sweet kid, Emmett." The way she says my name lets me know she's serious. "KID….. She doesn't Belong HERE." She emphasizes the word kid and here.

I'm not sure if Jessie hates all the new girls because she's afraid they are going to become her, stuck in a strip club. Flirting with every Tom, Dick, and Harry to pay the rent. Always waiting for that big baller to come in and sweep her off her feet or if it's the fear that they are going to replace her.

"Looks like she belongs, just fine," I tell her turning back towards the stage, just in time to see a glimpse of the petite brunette on her knees, stripping herself of the white men's dress shirt she's wearing. Buttons are flying everywhere, hair flinging around. She hot from what I can see. The crowd steps in front of her again and then parts like the red sea just in time for my eyes to fall on the tiniest butterfly tattoo peeking out of the smallest red panties

I'd know anywhere since I'm the one who took her to get it on her 16th birthday. My going away present to her. "What the fuck!" I shout, my glass of jack hits the floor, and I'm off my barstool and flying through the crowd, not just knocking into mother fuckers but running them over.

I can hear people yelling. I can feel them as I crashed into them, stepping over them. But I don't see them, I can't understand what they're saying, and I don't care who they are. I only see the now half-naked girl on stage, spinning around and throwing her bra into the crowd behind her. Like a bride throwing her fucking bouquet.

"Get the fuck off the stage," I yell, still steps away from the stage and she freezes on the spot, breast out for everyone to see. Her big doe eyes lock with mine, and she knows, at that moment she's fucked.

Everyone around me is booing, throwing drinks and shit at me. "Get. The. Fuck. Off. The Stage. Now!" I repeat every word slow and precise. I want to make sure that she hears me over the music and booing.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I know it isn't friendly. "I suggest you get your hand off me if you want to keep it." I don't even turn towards the jackass, lifting my shoulder and pulling it away from his grip. He's lucky I didn't knock him out just for being in the same room with her half-naked body.

I pick up the white men's dress shirt that she just ripped off. Looking down, I hand it to her. "NOW!" I tell her. I can't look at her, and she's not doing anything to shield her body from me or the rest of the room.

Another hand wraps firmer onto my shoulder, and this ass mutters something to me, but I can't make heads or tails of it over the ringing in my ears. I'm getting her off that fucking stage, and we're leaving. This is my fucking club. Fuck Jasper he's going to be dead after this.

I can't look at her. Not at her body, not at her face. I'm so pissed, and if this asshate doesn't remove his hand in about 2.5 seconds, he wouldn't be seeing or touching anyone for a long time. I can see her feet moving out of the corner of my eye. But I still can't look at her. Even clothed, I feel like the dirty one for being in a place like this, for owning a business like this.

"Emmett, what's the problem bro?" The voice behind me finally becomes clear, now that her skin is a little more covered. It's Jasper, and it's not safe for him. I've known Jasper since we were in grade school. I'd break anyone who laid a hand on him. Right now, at this moment, for the first time, I want to break him in two. "Come on, bro." I hear him say again. My eyes still locked on the ground in front of her. Holding my hand out, waiting for her to take it. I wave my fingers at her. Silently, telling her to take my hand and get off the stage.

I can see her feet moving closer to the edge of the stage, as do I. She wraps her arms around my neck, and her half-naked body slides down mine. I Look away from her. There's far too much-exposed skin. I take a deep calming breath, and if it wasn't so loud, I know everyone would hear it, I know she heard it. The crowd around us grows more restless, throwing things and shouting at both of us now.

"Emmett, come on. You want the girl fine. You know she's yours, just…." Before he can finish that statement, I drop the girl's feet to the floor. With one hand still on her waist, my other reaches and grabs Jasper by the throat. "You're lucky that I love you like a brother, Bro." I spit the word out, tasting the ugly on my lips for the first time. "If not you'd be dead where you stand."

I'm face to face with him. If he were a female, you'd think I was going to kiss him. By the way my jaw's clicking everyone can see that I'm clearly, closer to killing him. "She's done!" I spat in his face.

"Yeah, that's fine. Like I said, bro. She's yours…."

"Repeat it, Jasper. Repeat it." I cut him off, tightening my grip on his throat. "Say it again, say it one more time, and I'll break every last one of your fucking teeth." I yank him closer, bumping my chest into his. "You offer her to anyone else? You pass her around, like all the other girls?" My skin is on fire, it's like the room is burning and all I see is red, thinking about her with any of our boys.

"No…" He shakes his head as much as he can, barely getting the word out. "I was saving her for you. She's what you're always looking for." Jasper's voice is no more than a raspy whisper with my grip getting tighter. I don't want to think of her like that, and I for sure don't want him to think of her like that. I finally look back at the tiny brunette, standing on her tip toes in her 5-inch red heels. Her bare skin pressing into my side, her hair a tousled mess. The white shirt is barely staying on her, clinging to her moist, sweaty body.

"She's done. As in she's never to walk through those doors again." I release my hold on him, "You hear me?"

"Emmett…" His voice still a raspy whisper, he's holding his throat. But I don't care. I keep telling myself he's lucky he's still breathing.

I push off him and turn towards the petite brunette, now shivering in her stilettos. I toss her over my shoulder and storm off to the girls dressing rooms.

"Emmett…" Jasper tries again.

Passing him, I bend close enough just for him to hear me, "she's my fucking niece." I tell him, he's dazed and confused, I can see him trying to add it up. He's known Bella as long as I have. "How could you let her get up there?"

Hey, I hope you like it. Please, be sure to check out my other story in TVD, numb to the Beast. See you on the flip side.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I storm into the girls dressing room. Bella still hanging off my shoulder. "Emm, you're hurting me!" Her voice is low and raspy. Her tiny hands do their best to beat on my back and cling to me at the same time. I know she's pissed, but I don't care. I'm pissed too. She's talking, breathing, not dead and she's not half-naked out there on stage, in front of all those dirtbags. So, she can deal.

"Get the fuck out," I yell at a room full of half-dressed girls, putting themselves together before they have to go out on stage. But, not one of them makes a move to get up and leave or even questions, the brunette I have slung over my shoulder. They just continue covering up who and what they really are. The Mother, the student, the sister, the nieces… fuck they all belong to someone and don't belong here. All I see is Bella when I look at each one of them now.

Now, I can't look at any of them and not just because they are all just like her but because I fucked have of them and now I see why.

"I said get the fuck out!" My voice is thunderous, I hold open the dressing room door waiting for them to exit. Only to find Jasper on the other side of it.

"Everyone out, ladies." He says, his voice much lower, much calmer, "give us a few minutes, then the room will be all yours, again."

Us…. What the fuck does he mean us? He doesn't have any part in this. I said everything that I had to say to him out on the club floor. Unless he wants it to be about us because I could really use someone to beat the shit out of right now. But this, this right now, is between Bella and me.

I watch as all the girls raise and head for the door. Some only half dressed and others still in their street clothes. All of them eyeing Bella and me now.

Roz stops right in front of me and glares at me. "You don't have to be a Neanderthal, all the time." I've known Roz since she first started here. I was one of the first people she gave a lap dance to. Helped make her comfortable taking her clothes off in front of strangers. No, just for your information, she's one of them I haven't fucked. She's that girl who's looking for the real deal. For love and happy ever after and I'm not given that to her or anyone for that matter.

She rounds me and bends down towards Bella. "You good doll?" She asks her. I feel her body nodding against mine, but I turn her away from Roz. I don't need her mothering her right now. Her you're an asshole glare is enough to make me go to church and ask for forgiveness, for shit, I haven't even done yet, and I don't do church, god or any of that crap.

"She's fine," I'm still holding the door open for her, she's the last one left. "Now go," I tell her and she passes under my arm, throwing another you need help look my way. "You too, asshat. I said everything I needed to say to you out there. If you're in here, I might change my mind and decide to use my fist to finish the conversation."

"That's why I'm staying." His eyes dart to Bella, falling on her almost bare ass, still draped over my shoulder. "I'm not leaving you alone with her when you're this pissed off. If you want to hit something, that's what I'm here for. Better me than her." He says, throwing himself onto the giant red lips couch. Setting next to the dressing room door. He tosses his feet up on a coffee table and makes himself at home.

"She's my fucking niece. She's the ONLY, " and I emphasize only. "Person on this planet that I would never harm." Making it clear that I'm really second guessing my decision on not kicking his ass earlier.

"That's why he abandoned me." I hear Bella say from behind my back and it hurts. She'll never understand what it was like for me to be in that house, I that town. She'll never know what it did to me to leave her behind.

"No one was talking to you." I spin around, looking around the room. "Which locker is yours?" I ask her.

I can feel her crossing her arms between her chest and my back. Pouting, like she did when she was a kid and I wouldn't do what she wanted. I turn to Jasper for a little help, raising my brow. If he's going to be here, he might as well help me out.

He points to the locker in the far corner. Of course, it's the one with ballerina shoes hanging from it. The fucking Ballerina.

"Can you put me down? You're giving me a killer headache." She whines. I carry her over to her locker. Dropping her down on her feet, right in front of it. The white men's shirt she's wearing isn't covering anything.

"Put some fucking clothes on," I pick up the large duffle bag out of her locker and throw it at her feet. "And for God's sake, take that crap off your face." I pull some tissues from a tissue box on one of the dressing tables next to us and hand them to her.

She just tosses the tissue on the dressing table. Slamming herself down in the seat in front of the dressing table. She pulls her lashes off and picks up a wet cloth out of a pack on the table. Wiping away the girl in front of me and becoming the girl I've always known.

I can see her eyeing me as she wipes it all away. Thinking, I'm acting just like my asshole, brother. Once it's clear and clean, she stands jerks the shirt from her shoulders and drops it to the floor before I can look away. "Shit…" I mutter under my breath.

I turn away from her, putting my attention on Jasper. He's watching her, his eyes glued to her naked body. "Turn your fucking eyes around, or I will remove them," I tell him, my fingers doing a little twirl for him to get the full picture.

"It's nothing he…I…haven't… hasn't seen before." They both say in unison, and it makes me sick. How long has she worked here? When was the last time I came into the city? I'm trying to put everything together in my head but all I want to do is turn around and yell at her again, but I know she's still standing there naked, by the happy look on Jasper's face.

"I don't want to know that. It's all that is running through my head right now, and I don't want to think about it. I don't want to know anything about you two. I don't want to know, and for god's sake the least he can do is not gawk at you right in front of me." I sound like a whiny kid, complaining about his brother's new toy. Even though Jasper is no brother of mine and if he keeps looking at her like that, I won't even be able to say we're friends.

"How long has she been working here?" I ask Jasper, moving to stand in his direct line of sight.

"I thought you didn't care?" Bella says from behind me, with all the sass of her 12-year-old self.

"I didn't say I didn't care, I said I don't want to hear about you two and whatever it is that you two do. And I wasn't talking to you." I raise my brow to Jasper.

"A month, a month and a half." He leans forward, "Bro, you know I would never give you my leftovers." The thought made my stomach turn. Him with Bella, Bella with him. My Bell.

"That's why you were here. You pay the girls here to sleep with you?" Yes sounds more disgusted with me by the minute.

"No, Bell. Contrary to what you may think, I don't have to pay to get laid." I yell back at her, still unsure if its ok to turn around and start lecturing her.

"Are you sure she's your niece and not your sister? Because…"

"Shut the fuck up," I tell Jasper and I hear Bella plop down in the leather chair she was sitting in moments ago. I close my eyes and pray that she's fully clothed before I turn to throw myself onto the couch next to Jasper. If I wasn't tired before, I'm exhausted now.

When I look up, she's fully dressed. Baggy NYU sweatshirt, leggings, and UGG boots. However, now I'm the one that feels naked. Her big doe eyes, looking me up and down from the mirror in front of her. Checking out every new tattoo, every new scar and I can't look back at her.

"How could you not know it was her?" I whisper to Jasper. I know that even over the loud DJ music coming from outside the dressing room, she can still hear me. But, I do my best to keep it between Jasper and me. "She's Carl's fucking daughter. You've known her as long as I have." Leaning my head back against the couch, my hands fist my eyes.

"I knew Bella Cullen," he whispers back. "That's not Bella Cullen. That's Isabella Swan, I never knew her as…."

"You fucking took that asshole's name?" I'm off the couch, taking a massive step over the coffee table, I'm in front of her in seconds, spinning her chair so we're eye to eye and I'm yelling at her once again. I've never yelled at a female like this. Never had one single woman that I cared enough about to raise my voice.

"You knew!?" She's out of her chair and standing toe to toe with me. "Of course you knew, that family with all their dirty little secrets." She's not wrong about any of it. I can see the tears in her eyes. She wants to break but she won't. "He's my father, Emmett. Why wouldn't I take his name?"

Shit, she knows. I wonder who told her, how she found out, how she took it. I wonder if she needed me and I wasn't there. I'm still too angry to think about anything but her on stage, and I'm about to handle everything all wrong.

"That asshole is not your father," I yell and turn my anger back to the only person in the room that I can hit if I really have to. "You….." I storm back over to Jasper, wanting to take his head off. For no other reason than the fact that I really need to hit something. "How the fuck did you not recognize her?"

"Bro, she was like a child when we moved away, and I only knew Bella, and she didn't look like that." He points to her, and he has this, dude I wish I had hit that when I had a chance look on his face.

"Don't Man, just don't." I hang my head low. I don't know up from down right now.

"It's her...It's it?" He steps closer and whispers to me.

"Don't man," I whisper back to him. I flipped my life upside down to get away from this, from her.

"She's the reason we left, isn't she?" He looks at her, and I can see it all hitting him.

"I said don't." I push past him and back over to Bella, grabbing her purse and duffle bag. I drag her out of her seat. She doesn't seem like she wants to come with me. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," I tell her, coming face to face with her.

She takes my hand and follows me to the other side of the room. "Me and you will talk later." I lean in and tell Jasper, nudging him with my shoulder. He nods his head and gives a little wave to Bella that knots my stomach.

I tug Bella behind me, trying to keep her as close as I can. The girls that were forced out start passing us. I can hear the ones that didn't have time to change complaining about losing money. I'll have to work that out with Jasper later.

The crowd has died down a lot, most of the guys going home after I pulled Bella off the stage. The rest calmed by the new girl that took the stage. There's still a hand full of ass holes shouting at Bella to get back on stage. I'd love nothing more than to beat each and every one of them but if I let go of Bella's hand, it will only give her a chance to run.

We're out of the club, and I'm pulling her through the parking lot. I don't know what she drives, but I know it's expensive. For her 16th birthday, my brother bought her a Land Rover. So, I can only imagine what she's driving now. "Where's your car?" I ask her, dragging her with me.

"It's the red Chevy truck, we passed." She lifts our hands towards the ugliest piece of shit truck I've ever seen.

"What the fuck is that? Is that even safe or legal to drive?" The truck has more rust holding it together than nuts and bolts.

Bella doesn't even look at me, she tugs her hand away from mine, and I instantly grab it back. I'm not sure if I'm afraid she's going to run or hit me. I just don't want her to disappear. I ran away from Folks because I thought it was best. Now, that I have her in my grasp. I'm not sure about anything.

"I need to get the keys or should I use my mind powers to teleport them out of my bag?" There she is again. My twelve-year-old Bella.

I put her between the rust bucket and me and grab her bag. Digging through it, I do my best to find anything cold that could be keys. There's so much crap in here, I can't find anything. It doesn't help that I can't stop giving Bella sideways glances.

She yanks the bag back and in three seconds has the keys in her hand. How do women do that? "Can I go now?" she asks, swinging open the heavy door. "Or is there some other aspect of my life that you'd like to fuck up tonight?"

"Bell, I didn't…"

"But you did," she spat out cutting me off. "You always fuck everything up. Couldn't you go to some other shit club? Why this one, why mine?" She slams the door, and the window falls down. Before I can even answer, she's turning on the loud beast.

A million things are going through my head. I don't want her to think I spend all my time in strip clubs. I want to yell that it's my club and at the same time I don't want her to know it is. But all I get out is, "I didn't fuck up your life Bell…." I'm shouting to get over the loud ass engine noise. "You had to of fucked I up long before tonight, or I wouldn't have found you striping in my club!" The words are out before I can take them back. "You'd be a long way from here, back at NYU where you belong, and half of Seattle wouldn't know what you look like naked."

No, I don't know why she's here and not in school. I don't understand why she's driving this piece of shit car, or why she dropped my brother's last name. But I do know that right now I don't care. Right now, I need to be drunk and laid. Just like that, I'm turning my back on her again.


	3. Chapter 3

Every inch of me hurts, the world spins and not just in one direction. The only thing stopping me from feeling like complete death is the cool fan blowing against my bare skin. I'm afraid to open my eyes, fearful of where I might find myself, what crazy shit did I get myself into. I don't remember anything after walking away from Bella's ugly beat up, rust bucket.

I reach my arm out. Thinking I'll find a warm body since there's not one sprawled across me. The spot next to me is cold and empty. Like it's been that way for a while. I peek out through one eye, and the world spins just a bit more, but the room is empty and unfamiliar. This isn't Jaspers place. I diffidently spent the night with someone. I inwardly groan. I hate when I do this to myself.

I close my eyes tight again, willing the memories from last night to resurface, any memory from last night. Only to be met with the memory of Bella slamming that truck door in my face repeatedly, then it rewinds to Folks, my past, my mom's dead body cold on the floor, the gunshot, the lies, and me finally leaving it all behind. It's like I'm living my nightmares all over again.

Something nudges the bed, hard. "Hey…..Neanderthal," and like that, I know where I'm at, and I'm terrified to open my eyes. I'd know that voice anywhere, and there's only one person who calls me a Neanderthal. "I know you're awake or dead. You stopped snoring like ten minutes ago." She says, and I feel the bed nudge again. I know she's not lying about the snoring. Jasper has told me many times that when I drink Jack, I snore like a bear.

I open my eyes and Roz handing me a glass of orange juice and what looks like a small pharmacy of pills. Doing my best to sit up without sending my stomach on a roller-coaster ride, I quickly pull the sheet over my very naked lower half.

"Now you're going to be modest and cover yourself?" Roz says and drops the pills and orange juice on the side table, before turning to walk away.

I'm embarrassed, and I don't do embarrassed. I can't believe I crossed the line with Roz. I can't believe she crossed that line with me. I quickly reach for her hand and yank her on top of me, everything spins, but I'm not that kind of guy. I might not be a repeat hitter, and I can honestly say I've never had a girlfriend. Nevertheless, I'm not a dick to the girls after. I don't dash and act like it was a mistake.

Especially, Roz, I'd never want her to think, I think any less of her. She did what most women do. She fell into bed with me, even though she knows there's no future there. I tug her hands behind her back, press my pelvis into hers and bury my face in her hair. She smells fantastic, she's already showered this morning, and surprisingly, I'm still pretty frustrated with the whole Bell thing and could go another few rounds.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Roz yells and tries to squirm away from me. "What is wrong with you? Let me go." Her knee is in my nuts, and now the world is spinning for a whole different reason. She's off me, my hands are cupping my balls as if they're made of glass, and they're about to fall off the empire state building.

"What the fuck, Roz?" I'm groaning and can hardly catch my breath. I'm beyond confused, my head is spinning, my stomach is upside down, and my balls are diffidently broken.

"I don't know what you thought was going to happen right now, but you can kiss that dream goodbye," Roz screams at me. "Drink your orange juice and go take a shower, you stink worse than a dirty bar floor. I'll be in the kitchen when your ball finally drop, feel free to come out and I'll drive you to Jasper's." She slams the door so hard I can't remember what hurts more, my head or my balls.

I can't figure out what happened. I look around the room, and I'm fore sure in Roz's room. I'm fore sure naked in her bed. Was I that bad last night? Did I call her someone else's name? Does she regret it? I've never had a girl make me feel so shitty after sleeping with them.

The orange juice is sitting on the end table. Drink the orange juice; Roz had told me before she stormed out. So, I picked it up along with what now looks like aspirin and vitamins of some kind and downed them. The orange juice burned my super dry throat and reminded me how badly I needed to brush last night's taste out of my mouth.

Shower, she said to shower. She's not kicking me out. Whatever happened between last night and this morning it's not that bad. If so, she would have told me to get dressed and get out, right?

Everything in Roz's house is female. There's no sign that she has male company. I've never been with a female who has nothing masculine in her bathroom. They always have that leftover shampoo or something from their ex, hiding under their bathroom cabinet. Not Roz, no male body wash or shampoo, no extra toothbrushes in the draws. Nothing that is going to be of any help to me. 

I open the body wash and take a whiff, lavender or some flowery shit. Don't get me wrong this stuff smells excellent on women but I can only imagine what people will think when I walk into the room and the get a big whiff of lavender. Great, I'll need to hit the shower at Jasper's before heading out, I can't go around smelling like flowers all day, no one will take me seriously.

I don't know if it's the shower or magic pills that Roz gave me, but I am feeling a little better. My nuts are still in my stomach, but everything else hurts a lot less. I wrap the fluffy pink towel around my waist and go on the hunt for last night's clothes. Only to find them, folded neatly on the end of the now stripped bed.

I pull the white cotton tee over my still wet hair and body and stop mid-pull. It smells clean and fresh. She fucken washed my clothes. I pull my t-shirt the rest of the way down and drop the towel on the floor to pull on my jeans. I sit on the bed to pull on my socks and continue to look around the room. It's spotless, the orange juice glass already picked up, none of her clothes on the floor from last night and it hits me. Roz is, and I'm just hoping I didn't fuck up our friendship too much.

Roz is in the kitchen, sitting on the counter a cup of coffee in one hand and another sitting between her legs. Her gaze on the floor, her mind entirely somewhere else. "One of those for me or are you double fisting this early in the morning?" I tell her and do my best to squeeze in between her legs.

The coffee in her hand spills as she jerks away, throwing her free hand and a foot against me to push me away. "Seriously, Emmet. What the fuck?" She yells, slamming the coffee mug down and shaking the hot coffee off her hand. She's off the counter and cleaning up the mess before I can even ask where the paper towels are.

"Damn Roz… What the fuck did I do to you last night, that you won't even let me touch you today?" I've been known to get rough but usually only with girls that ask me to. I can't imagine me taking things in that direction with Roz.

She leans back against the counter and hands me the coffee that is now half-empty. I take a sip and its black as night. I don't want to ask her for another else. I feel like she's done enough already. Therefore, I sip it again, but I can't stand the taste of black coffee, and this is strong as fuck, too.

She turns her back to me and washes her cup out in the sink. "There's cream or milk in the in the fridge and sugar is on the counter," she says. I open the fridge to find what she calls milk and decide to pass and go for the cream instead.

"What do you think happened last night, Emmett?" Her voice clearer now, so I know she's turned around and is facing me again. My head is in the fridge, and I'd like to shut the door on my head.

"Fuck," and I know I say it out loud and too loud. My head drops below my shoulders, and I want to die where I stand. I don't want to tell this girl, who I have nothing but respect for that I don't remember sleeping with her. "I remember going to the club.."

"I'm not asking you to replay the night for me. I'm asking what you think happened between us?" She's standing over the fridge door, with her chin resting on her arms, staring at me.

"I don't know, Roz," I say, slamming the door a lot harder than I needed to. "I don't remember anything past Bella telling me I fucked up her whole life." I know I look ashamed because I feel ashamed. Not just because I don't remember sleeping with her but because of the whole Bella scene last night.

"Let's go." She says grabbing my undrunk coffee from the counter and dropping it down the drain. She laughs, as she grabs her keys and bag.

"No, fuck that. I wake up naked in your bed. With you nowhere to be found, you won't let me touch you. You have to tell me what the fuck happen?" I can't leave without knowing what happened. "Come on Roz, if you woke up drunk in my bed, I'd fill you in on all the details." I flash the biggest smile I can muster at her.

"I'd never wake up drunk in your bed." She says opening the front door and I'm chasing behind her. What is that supposed to mean, she'd never wake up drunk in my bed? I just woke up in her bed, is one different than the other? How would that be different, unless?

"So we didn't?" I like Roz, I do. But she's not the type of girl I sleep with. I don't even think she's the type of girl that belongs in a strip club. For the first time in my life, I'm excited at the thought that I didn't get laid.

"No," she says closing the door behind us. We walk to her car and get in. "You grabbed a bottle from Jessie and went to the VIP room, but then you kick out every girl that went in there." I do my best to flash back to it, but I get nothing.

"Jasper tried to get you to go home with him, but you just threatened to kill him in his sleep over and over." I diffidently don't remember that, but after everything that happened yesterday. I could see me doing that, not saying but doing it.

"So, I told Jasper I'd take you home with me. My intent was for you to sleep on the coach but you walked in the front door stripped your clothes and wandered through my house till you found my bedroom." She gives me the sideways eye that reminds me of my mom, and it breaks my heart.

"I'm sorry," I tell her. "I just…"

"It's fine. It was a rough for you last night, I understand. I learned a lot about you, Emmett." I don't want to know what she learned. I don't want to know what secrets I spilled last night after coming face to face with my biggest demon. So, I'm silent the rest of the car ride to Jasper's.

"Thank you for the ride," I pause "and everything else," I tell her before getting out of the car. But she's out of the vehicrle and following right behind me as I enter the house.

"Emmett…." She says my name as a warning, but it's too late. When I round the front door, I see Bell sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee with Jasper just like Roz and me this morning. What the fuck? I didn't see her truck outside. Was I even looking for it? No, why would I be?

"Hey Rose," Bella says and jumps down off the counter. "Emmett." She says dipping her head before turning and walking out of the room.

"Thanks for the ride…" I tell her again, " and for taking care of me this morning... and last night." She nods and looks over at Jasper. "We're good, don't worry," I tell her, looking towards Jasper, even though I know we're not, but I have bigger fish to fry, and I go hunting for Bella.

I head to Jasper's room, thinking that's the most likely place for her to be and the bathroom but she's not. She's not in the kitchen because I was just there and I placed the living room to get to Jasper's room. I pause at the bathroom. It's open and empty. I backtrack three steps and open the door to what is my room when I'm in the city, but it's just the spare room. There she is throwing her hair into a ponytail like she's getting ready to go to war.

"I was starting to get the wrong idea about you two," I tell her and she turns. "I thought maybe you had been sleeping with Jasper all along or maybe you slept with Jasper last night to get back at me."

"How do you know I'm not sleeping with Jasper?" Bella says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because you're sleeping in my room." I take two big steps closer to her. "Bell, why are you sleeping in my room?" I don't know what it is, something about her sleeping in the bed that I sleep in.

"I liv.." But before she could answer, I was kissing her. Full on hands in her hair, head tilted back, molding her mouth to mine. I couldn't stop myself. However, she could, and she did. She smacked me so hard the headache I had from my hangover, returned in an instant.

"What the fuck?" She screams.

Now, I'm angry with her for being her. I'm mad at myself for not being able to control how I feel around her. I'm mad with my brother for bringing her into my life. But the only person I can take it out on right now is her.

"What's the matter Bell? Is it because I'm older or is because I'm your uncle? It all creepy right?" I yell at her.

"Yes... I mean no… I mean yes!" I didn't give her a chance to decide. I'm running away, yet again.


End file.
